The invention relates to a setting and stacking arrangement which includes a gripping mechanism rotatable about a vertical axis. The gripping mechanism is movable in a transverse and longitudinal direction and can be lifted and lowered as well and serves to set, respectively to stack objects, so that with this gripping mechanism a setting respectively a stacking in a cross bracing manner is made possible. The arrangement is particularly suitable for stacking and/or setting molded articles being fed from a ceramic press.
A setting and stacking arrangement of this type is already known and is described on page 325 of the publication entitled "Keramische Zeitschrift" No. 7/1976. This known arrangement has a conveyor belt mounted immediately adjacent to the pressing table of the ceramic press. This conveyor belt transports the pressed molded articles to a first gripper mechanism. The latter is mounted in a first elevator tower and serves to grip the stones or articles coming from the press and to turn them 90.degree. about their longitudinal axis and to place them in this turned position on a further conveyor belt. This second conveyor belt then transports the turned molded articles into the operative region of a further gripping arrangement. This second gripping arrangement is mounted on a gantry-like frame and is movable on this frame in a transverse as well as in a longitudinal direction and can as well be lowered and lifted by the gantry-like frame and rotated about a vertical axis. In this manner it is possible to set the molded articles being transported by the second conveyor belt on, for example, a kiln vehicle and to stack them on this vehicle and to obtain thereby a better stability of the stone or article stack by stacking it in a cross-bracing manner. A significant drawback of this known setting and stacking arrangement resides in that at least two conveyor belts, two elevator towers, and two gripping mechanisms must be provided. Such an arrangement is therefore quite complex and costly. A further drawback resides in that the stones must be gripped, turned and transported several times. This is particularly disadvantageous when delicate not yet cured molded articles have to be handled, for example, the type consisting of a dry-pressed fireproof mass. Such molded articles are frequently damaged due to excessive handling. A further drawback of this known setting and stacking arrangement resides in that when the press is to be changed for a different type of molded article, a suitable adjustment of both conveyor belts and the elevator towers is necessary which requires the concomitant corresponding free space in the overall installation. A further drawback of this known setting and stacking arrangement resides in the necessity of the plural transfer and pick-up from one gripping mechanism to another and the necessity of traversing a considerable feed path length which lowers the overall output capacity of the arrangement.